


Far Above the World

by CrazyBatLady



Category: Steam Powered Giraffe
Genre: Gen, space travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-25
Updated: 2013-02-25
Packaged: 2017-12-03 14:49:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/699424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrazyBatLady/pseuds/CrazyBatLady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Spine prepares for the trip of a lifetime</p>
            </blockquote>





	Far Above the World

It was a tense day at the Walter manor: it wasn’t every day one of the three automatons went into space. The year was 1963, just a year after the grandson of Colonel Walter was lost on his fateful journey aboard the NASA spacecraft ‘Asteroid’. As the bot least likely to suffer a malfunction, the Spine had been selected to fly a special mission aboard NASA’s newest spacecraft. Despite what had happened to Walter IV, the Spine knew it had been an accident and was willing to help further the cause of space travel. The USSR had been breathing down America’s neck, making them more eager to set the record for the first automaton in space. It was a tense day, but also a momentous day. A day that would be remembered.

All the inhabitants of the manor were crowded around the rather small television set in the living room: Annie and Peter Walter V, Wanda and Norman Becile and of course Rabbit and the Jon. The brass robot was sitting on the floor directly in front of the screen, watching the live coverage of the rocket as it stood at Cape Kennedy. It would be launching in a matter of minutes. There were brief shots of Mission Control, as well as the crowds who had gathered to witness the event, all accompanied by the voice over of a news reporter commenting on how important the day would be.

“Rabbit, is the Spine going to be okay up there?” The Jon asked, looking over his shoulder at Rabbit, who was sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed.

“He’ll be f-fine, Jon. You heard over the phone all the training and t-t-testing that he was going through. Don’t you worry!” Rabbit grinned, but in all honesty he was somewhat nervous as well. Although the Spine had reassured them when he left for Florida all that time ago that he would be fine, he couldn’t help remembering what happened to Walter IV. It made his gears run a little stiffer than normal.

“Rabbit’s right, Jon,” Wanda piped in, aiding Rabbit in his reassurance, “I’m sure they’re doing all they can to make sure the mission is a complete success. You’ll see, he’ll be up and down and back here in no time.”

The Jon nodded, a small smile on his face as he turned back to the television set. Rabbit sunk a little into his seat beside Walter V. He certainly hoped Wanda was right.

———

“How are you doing, sir?”

“Just fine, thank you. And please, call me Spine.”

The Spine was running a few final checks. The cockpit was small and cramped, filled with an array of buttons and dials. He was secured tightly into his seat, wearing his specialised suit. While he didn’t need to breath in the same way humans did, he still need to have protection from the G-force as he left the atmosphere, as well as the low temperatures of space. He exhaled, a trail of steam dissipating into the small space. If only the Colonel could see him now…

———

“Hey, Rabbit.”

The Jon’s voice cut off Rabbit in the middle of his worries, curled up in the corner of the sofa.

“What is it, Jon?”

“Why is the launch taking so long? Why isn’t it just like ‘the rocket takes off and it’s awesome, the end’?”

Walter V took the question before Rabbit could answer, seeing that the copper automaton had other thoughts on his mind.

“A spacecraft is a very big thing, Jon. Getting something that heavy off the ground requires a lot of planning and preparation and resources. Even before the Spine went to Florida they have been preparing this for many months to make sure it all goes well.”

“And if it doesn’t go well?”

The question hung unpleasantly in the air, like a muffling blanket or bad smell.

“…I honestly couldn’t say. We can only hope for the best.”

Rabbit knew what Walter could have said: the craft could explode in the launch pad or up in the air, or crash down in the first few minutes of flight. And that was just in the first part of the flight. Rabbit did his best to dispel the thoughts from his mind as the television announced a countdown of 30 seconds until take off.

———

“T-minus 30 seconds.”

The silver bot shifted around in his seat, nerves slowly being stretched as the moments ticked by. A quick survey of the cockpit confirmed that everything was as it should be. It’s now or never, the Spine thought with a wry smile on his face. He imagined the residents of Walter manor watching the coverage on TV. He’ll see them soon. He could feel the various rumblings and gurgling below him of the rocket fuel that would take him where no automaton had gone before.

“T-minus 10 seconds.”

He clenched his fists as he felt the whole structure shudder around him. All part of the launch, he repeated to himself. Nothing to worry about.

“10. 9. 8.”

The Walter residents leaned in close to the set as the man in Mission Control counted down, each number releasing a wave of butterflies in the stomach.

“7. 6. 5.”

The shuddering grew more and more. The Spine grit his teeth. Closer and closer.

“4. 3. 2.”

“Good luck, cowboy.” Rabbit whispered. The Jon simply gulped.

“1. We have liftoff.”

With a roar and a shudder, the rocket began to ascend from the launch pad, great plumes of smoke billowing out from the sides. The Spine was driven back into his seat as the G-force grew, praying that the suit would protect him.

The Jon’s face was right next to the screen at this point, photoreceptors taking in every detail of the rocket’s ascent. Everyone else was leaning forward as well, Rabbit very nearly falling off the edge of his seat.

Millions watched as the rocket climbed and climbed. Everything went as planned. The fuel tanks came off as the rocket went higher into the atmosphere. The moments were longer than it seemed possible. The man at Mission Control spoke into his microphone, the one allowing communication with the spacecraft.

“Spine, can you hear me, over?”

Silence.

“Spine, please respond, over.”

Silence.

America held its breath.

“…Hearing you loud and clear, over.”

There was a great cheer from Mission Control. The launch had been a success.

“Spine’s in space!” The Jon shouted, his mouth split into a grin. He jumped up from the television and grabbed Rabbit’s hands, pulling him up into a jig.

“He sure is, Jon! Out buddy’s in s-s-space!”

The two danced wildly around the living room, singing and cheering and revelling in the success of their brother and friend. The others, while more subdued, celebrated through clapping and cheering of their own.

“Who would have thought your bots would end up in space, grandpa?” Walter V said under his breath, a tear running down his smiling face.

———

The Spine sighed a deep sigh of relief. From the cockpit, he could see the blue of the Earth spread out below him.

He was here.

He was in space.


End file.
